The Simple Truth
by JazzM137
Summary: Boyd has to come to terms with a few home truths but how will they affect the team? Don't think there are really any spoilers or warnings...might get a bit fluffy later on and maybe a bit angsty...but will warn you when the time comes.
1. Chapter 1

Crying. It made Grace feel better, Boyd look human, Spencer seem vulnerable, Stella get angry and Eve embarrassed. But as the rest of the team huddled around Grace's prone body it was hard not let their salty tears fall. Grace squeezed Boyd's hand harder and harder as the pain ebbed and flowed but Boyd couldn't feel a thing, he was completely numb from the shock. The one constant, reliable thing in his life had been jeopardised and it was taking him a while to come to grips with the fact that Grace was human, a mere mortal like the rest of them.

"Boyd!" Grace stood in the hallway between their offices, "I'm off, I'll see you tomorrow" as she started to move towards the double doors Boyd stuck his head out of the office

"Grace, you couldn't come with me to interview Patel would you? Please." Grace sighed exasperatedly but nodded and said,

"Of course, but you're buying me a drink afterwards." Boyd gave a small chuckle as he ducked inside his office to grab his coat from the back of his chair. Leaving the CCU building they walked towards Boyd's car chatting amicably when Boyd reached into his pocket to find his keys, he accidentally liberated a receipt. Watching the white rectangle of paper float on the breeze Grace followed it trying to grab it but missing by millimetres every time. As soon as the breeze had picked up it disappeared again unceremoniously dumping the receipt on the floor. Bending down to pick the errant paper up she turned around to face Boyd to tell him that she had caught it but instead saw the headlights of a speeding car.

"GRACE!"

The paramedics had arrived swiftly to the scene and uniformed officers were taking statements but Boyd couldn't or wouldn't co-operate. He knew that Grace was in safe hands but he had to know for sure. He wasn't going to let her out of his sight. Climbing into the ambulance he watched her face, he committed her soft features to memory, remembering every line and freckle as a part of him worried that this might be the last time he saw her. When they reached the hospital Boyd was ushered into a waiting room as his unconscious friend was wheeled away to be x-rayed.

"Where the fuck is she! Something must have gone wrong!" Boyd took out his anger on the skirting board while his DI Spencer Jordan tried to placate him,

"Don't worry boss, everything is going to be fine, the doctors'll patch her up and then she'll be back to her old self."

"But this is all my fault!" Kicking the wood for one last time Boyd threw himself into a chair and buried his head in his hands. Stella moved from the other side of the room and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

"How can you honestly believe that this is your fault? Grace chased a receipt and the driver wasn't paying attention that's all"

"But it was my receipt," Stella smiled kindly at her boss

"So you conjured the wind to lift it from your pocket and lead Grace into the road? You purposely let it fly away in front of that car?" Boyd sighed

"No, but..."

"But nothing, when Grace comes back she's going to need you to be strong for her not beating yourself up about it."

"What do you mean she's going to need 'me'" he pointed at his chest "to be strong?" Stella looked worried for a split second before regaining her composure.

" I meant she's going to need all of us around, I mean I know I never say it but the team is like my family, and Grace has been with you guys longer than I have so she must feel the same way...if you know what I mean." Boyd secretly wished that Grace needed him and only him but he knew it wasn't true.


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as Grace was able to be seen Boyd was called to see her. Just as he approached the door he was held back for a second by the doctor,

"Well, Ms…" before Dr. Knight could even start his sentence properly Boyd jumped in and interrupted,

"Dr." Though it was trivial Boyd felt that if he filled his mind with trivial questions he could put off answering the big question, 'Will Grace be ok?'

"I do apologise. Dr. Foley has been extremely lucky. She has some superficial cuts and bruises and a touch of concussion but other than that she is fine. No broken bones or haemorrhaging at all. We are going to keep her in over night for observation," seeing the look on Boyd's face the doctor added, "It's only a precaution, it's the normal procedure for patients suffering from concussion."

Boyd exhaled, it felt like he had be holding his breath since he had seen Grace lying still on the tarmac. Walking into the room he saw Grace lying down again, but this time on a nice soft bed. Upon hearing Boyd's entrance Grace woke up and looked around, seeing him she tried to shift around to see him properly but her bruised body protested and forced a gasp to escape her lips. In two long strides Boyd was at her bedside his hand comfortingly laid on her arm.

"It's alright, it's only me, you don't have to move. I'll move instead." Moving the cursory armchair into Grace's line of view Boyd sat down.

"You gave us a scare back there Grace but the doctor said you were ok and they only wanted to keep you in as a precaution."

"They don't know what they're talking about, I'm fine!" Grace tried to shift her position but failed, having to take a deep breath in before she could speak again. "I'd be fine if they just let me home…" at this point Boyd spoke quite quickly as he jumped in at the end of Grace's sentence,

"I was wondering, Grace, whether you wanted to come to stay with me…just while you're recovering?" Grace didn't say anything straight away, slowly and carefully she extended her arm and took Boyd by the hand and flashed a wide smile at him,

"That'd be great." Grace was smiling on the inside as well, she knew Boyd was only doing it out of friendship but at least in her mind she could pretend he loved her, pretend that he asked her to stay because he saw it as an opportunity to pluck up the courage to ask her out. A part of her knew it wasn't true though.

Stella, Eve and Spencer had all come in to say hi to Grace but they all felt that something was different, it wasn't until Stella noticed the looks that Boyd and Grace kept giving each other when they thought no one was watching, that she cottoned on to what had changed. They had finally admitted to themselves, if not to each other, that they had strong feelings for the other. Almost as soon as Grace tore her eyes from perusing Boyd's masculine features, he would look at her, thankful that he was able to see the Grace he had always loved shining through the cuts and bruises.

After an appropriate time had passed Stella suggested that she and Eve went to fetch some clothes for Grace. Grace accepted the offer kindly and handed Stella her house keys. As soon as the two women had left the room and were out of earshot of the doctor and DSI Stella turned to Eve,

"Was it just me or did you see that too?" Stella was excitable and loved the tang of gossip in the air, Eve on the other hand didn't know what she was talking about,

"What?" Stella looked exasperated,

"You're not very observant are you?" Eve puffed indignantly,

"I'd like you to show me the one tiny trace of physical evidence on a case that's 70 years old," she grumbled more to herself than anyone else. Stella ignored Eve's mumbled response and carried on,

"Didn't you see Boyd and Grace?"

"Of course I did, and?" Eve knew what Stella was getting at but she felt like being deliberately obtuse,

"Well…didn't you see the looks and the whole atmosphere and…" Eve interrupted,

"…and me and Spence have known for ages!"

"Yeah but you've never seen anything so concrete!" Stella looked at Eve and Eve but her lip,

"It was a while ago…"

"And you never told me!"

"Well…"


End file.
